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4/1/13

Natural Sugar Free Sweetener From Your Garden ~ Stevia

We've always felt a natural aversion towards artificial sweeteners and have generally avoided using them. We've opted for white, cane and brown sugar as the sweeteners of choice at our house. It seems as though our instincts are correct as the data begins to come in on relatively new artificial sweeteners.

We make an effort to limit our sugar consumption and acknowledge that even raw sugar eaten in excess is unhealthy. Additionally, sugar prices have been on the rise making it an increasingly expensive commodity. This article is an excellent read and lends some insight as to why the US has some of the most expensive sugar prices in the world. It also helps explain why many companies opt to use the less expensive, high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. We don't need a .gov site to tell us that high fructose corn syrup should not be a staple in any diet.

It hasn't been until recently that we've been aware of the natural sweetener, Stevia that we can grow in our garden. This natural alternative is easy unbelievably inexpensive and healthy. Our affiliate, Burpee Gardening has two Stevia varieties available as seeds. The seeds are indoor sow, meaning you must start the plants inside as seedlings. We plan to start ours this week as the last frost is quickly approaching. Once the plants are established they can be transplanted into a garden or outdoor container. Don't fret if you are unable to get seeds started in time. In addition to seeds, Burpee offers the Sweet Leaf Variety as a plant.

Leaves are 30 times sweeter than sugar. Single plant yields up
to a ½ lb. of dried leaf. All parts of the plant are sweet, but pick the
herb's short-stemmed leaves for fresh use. Leaves can be sun-dried,
powdered and stored in an airtight container for future use. Burpee
Exclusive.

The sweetest of the sweetest! Burpee-bred variety with 36" tall
plants, produces the sweetest stevia leaves you will find. While all
parts of the plant are sweet, pick the herb's short-stemmed leaves for
fresh use. Leaves can be sun-dried, powdered and stored in an airtight
container for future use. Exclusive.